I Collect: Kaylah

I've been reading Kaylah's blog for awhile now. I love her style, her wit and her love of cats! The other morning, while enjoying a cup of joe and a sleeping baby, I was checking in on Kaylah to see what she's been up to when it hit me-I collect interview! I'm super pumped to share with you Kaylah's strange and awesome tooth collection. 

My Name is: Kaylah Doolan. I'm a small business owner and full time blogger over at The Dainty Squid. I love cats, mycology, and of course, collecting way more things that I need.

I collect: teeth! I collect both human and animal teeth, tooth shaped things (brooches, planters, etc) and dental items (like slides, ceramic molds, etc)

Its been going on for: a few years. My collection has really bulked up over the last few months though!

I look for additions to my collections at: everywhere I go! A walk in the woods might find me an animal skull with teeth for my collection but I would have to say estate sales and ebay are my main source of additions.

When I find one I feel: Excited! It's a natural high to find pieces for any of my collections.

The star of my collection is: my teeth! I got 8 teeth pulled when I got braces - four wisdom teeth and four others to make room for my teeth to straighten out. It was a pain finding a dentist who would let me keep them because they're apparently "biohazards" but it was totally worth it!

The oddest piece in my collection is:  a strangers dentures! I found them in the garage at an estate sale of someone who recently died. They were in a box with a few other things and I was certain they'd cost more than I'd want to pay, especially since I just wanted them because they were so weird. But they ended up costing me fifty cents and since then I've bought four more pairs for my collection.

A way my collection has gotten me into a tight situation: I don't think my collection has ever really gotten me in a tight situation. Sometimes I do feel a bit awkward about admitting I collect teeth because everyone thinks it's really gross, weird, or inhumane. All of the real teeth in my collection come from consenting humans or deceased animals so it's not inhumane! As for gross, all of my collection has been cleaned thoroughly, and bleached when necessary. But I guess I can see how it could be weird! ;)

Some other things I like to collect are: vintage paint by numbers, cameras, nesting dolls, mushrooms, cuckoo clocks, vintage dresses, belts, keys, both faux and real taxidermy and maybe a few other things that I can't think of off the top of my head.

My family and friends think my collection is: strange, but they're very supportive. My dad got a bunch of teeth pulled sometime before Christmas and my mom gave them to me all packaged up nice in a fancy jewelry box, so I'd certainly say they understand me! ;) I come from a long line of collectors. My grandma was a collector, my dad is, I most definitely am, and my 8 year old nephew is too!

Thanks for sharing Kaylah!

See previous I Collect Interviews Here

Collecting Embroidered Sweaters

Floral Embroidered Sweater, Sm or Med $44.00

Minnesota is cold in the winter. It breaks my heart to have to put away my dresses at the end of the fall. At least my cardigans get to hang around and my sweaters come out of hiding. I love vintage clothing. I've definitely shared that before. Over the years I have accumulated a number of great embroidered sweaters and worn the love right out of them. I'm the girl who keeps on wearing a sweater even though it has no more elbows and an aged coffee stain on the front hidden behind a brooch. When vintage picking I always keep my eyes peeled for that next great sweater.....even on the sweatiest of summer days I've been known to add a piece to the ole stash.

Brown Embroidered Pull Over, Med $28.00

The exact inception of embroidery is hard to pin point (pun intended). Let's just say that for as long as humans have been wearing clothes, they have been adorning them....with embroidery. (Embroidery refers to decorating fabric with  needle and a thread-or yarn etc.)  Many different cultures, spanning many centuries, have incorporated embroidery into their garments. Some of the earliest known examples have been dated to 3000 BC. This article at Needlepointers.com outlines embroidery through history and region. It would take many books to truly cover embroiderys impact over time. 

Girls Embroidered Turtleneck Sweater Dress $20.00

If you're looking to hear more of embroidery's past, check out some of these books; "Art of Embroidery: History of Style and Technique," or "Early American Embroidery Designs: An 1815 Manuscript Album With Over 190 Patterns." There is also the hard to find "Royal School of Needlework-Book of Needlework and Embroidery." Plus don't miss the dense (over 300 pages!) Reproduction of the early 1923 gem "Embroidery And Lace: Their Manufacture History From The Remotest Antiquity To The Present Day. A Handbook For Armatures, Collectors, And General Readers..." It's always a good idea to ask your librarian if they have any suggestions too! 

Floral Embroidered Sweater Coat $34.00

It's important to care for and preserve those pieces we really love. Though don't abandon them in your closet because of life's risks. If that's the case, pop that baby in a frame and call it "Art." Because it is.

Some helpful hints for cleaning your embroidered garments

• Wash in mild detergent
• Machine was in cold
• Delicate wash cycle
• Remove promptly after wash is completed
• Never leave soaking in water, or in a wet pile
• Never wring out anything with embroidery
• Never rub out a stain
• If you are unsure, hand wash
• Lay Flat to Dry 

Floral Embroidered Grey Wool Sweater, Sm $14.00

The lovely embroidered sweaters you see here are all available for purchase on Etsy. The woods are lovely dark and deep, lets wrap up in warm embroidered sweaters.

Collecting Vintage Levi's

501s (1980's) 30/36 $84.00

I was gifted my first pair of vintage Levis almost 10 years ago. I put them on, they fit like a glove, the made my bottom half look badass (literally.) I lived in them, and I never looked back. From then on I bought all my Levis from Slash in Berkeley. It's been around forever, a little nook below street level in Elmwood. You step down into a Levi collectors dream. Its floor to ceiling stacks of pants! The friendly staff assess your needs and pull from piles all the jeans you could imagine. You try them on right then and there, in the middle of the darkly lit store. I've never been disappointed there. For those of you who aren't in the East Bay, there is always Etsy, thrift stores and pop-ups. 

 501s (1980's) 30/34 $28.00

US Patent Number 139,121 started it all. Well, US Patent Number 139,121, a great idea and a partnership between Jacob Davis and Levi Strauss. They developed the very first pair of men's work pants made of denim in the year 1873. Their 501 jeans were created in 1890 (in San Francisco)  and eventually went on to become one of the best selling items of clothing in history. 

557s (zip fly) 26/30 $36.44

In the 1950's and 1960's Levi's Jeans became popular with a variety of sub cultures. The popularity of jeans increased across the board and a number of other manufactures began producing similar products. By the 1990's the competition was fierce (especially with the overseas market). Though Levi Strauss holds the trademark for their signature pocket design. 

Silver Tab Jean Jacket $41.79

 

If you are interested in collecting vintage Levi's you should start with identification. This site offers some expert tips, as does this one. Also important in Levi's collecting is identifying a fake or impostor. Levis Strauss was involved in many lawsuits involving their patent style. Read here for help on impostor spotting. There are a plethora of titles regarding Levi's history, Levi Strauss himself, the history of blue jeans and denim; including "This Is a Pair of Levi's Jeans: The Official History of The Levi's Brand," which is a collectors item itself.

And last but not least I leave you with this....

All the Levi's items you see here are available for purchase on Etsy. Thank you Etsy sellers for the use of your beautiful photographs!

Collecting Vintage Bathing Suits

Vintage Tobi of California $182.00

I love to swim. I grew up on the lakes, 10,000 lakes to be exact! Swimming has always been a part of my existence. It is getting a little cold in the season to be swimming in the lakes. But I do have a healthy regimen of frequent lap swimming at the local Y. Recently the suit dryer ate a chunk-the left strap to be exact-out of my suit. (Really, use at your own risk!). I went on an Internet search to find a new "sport" swim suit. In doing my research, I came across a plethora of beautiful vintage bathing suits that would be perfect for lounging on the beach on a summers day, drinking an Arnie Palmer and finishing the Times Crossword. It sparked my interest in the idea of collecting vintage bathing suits.

In the 18th century women were wearing "bathing garments" made of wool to protect the skin from the sun and to keep a woman modest. Sea bathing was quite popular and the wool also added warmth. The swim suits of this era were made to cover arms and legs. Any additional exposure would result in strict legal punishment. Women were known to sew rocks into their suits to prevent them from riding up in the water. These suits were not practical or comfortable. As time went on mixed gender sea bathing/swimming became more acceptable and bathing suits became easier to move in. 

By the end of the 19th century beaches were covered with droves of sand dwellers, surf swimmers, and sea bathers. The bulky Victorian styled suits were becoming obsolete. Less fabric was being used and more of the figure was exposed. Although there were still lines of overexposure drawn in the sand (pun intended). Annette Kellerman, the "underwater ballerina," was arrested for indecent exposure-her one piece neck to ankle bodysuit was too revealing. She than marketed a line of bathing suits which were considered outrageous and the subject of many censorship debates. It changed bathing suits forever.

After that swim suit shapes began to shrink. The arms became shorter then disappeared. The legs began to receded past the knees and up the thighs. And the collar shrunk down from around the neck to the top of the bosom. The fabrics changed from dark and droopy to lighter colors and fun patterns. 

1930's Red Bathing Suit $110.00

The first Bikini was introduced after World War II. They were named after Bikini Atoll, a nuclear weapons test site, for their explosive effect on the viewer! Through the 1950's it was popular for the bikini bottom to come up over the navel. After the 1960's the bikini got smaller and smaller until it covered little more than the genitals. 

1940's Lee Swimplay Floral Bikini $295.00

If you are interested in collecting vintage bathing suits I suggest reading this article in Collectors Weekly; An Interview with Vintage Swimwear Collector Pam Fierro. Pam answers absolutely any question any one could have about vintage bathing suits: dating, designers, preservation and more! She also has a wonderful blog "GlamourSplash" dedicated to vintage swimwear and a website where she sells pieces from her own collection.

1950's "SeaLure" gingham bathing suit $65.00

Available from Amazon are these titles referencing bathing suits and swimwear history; "Vintage Swimwear" by Sarah Kennedy, "Making Waves,"  and "Splash, A History of Swimwear" by Richard Martin. (I also found these fun coffee table books: "Naughty Victorians & Edwardians: Early Images of Bathing Beauties" and "Bathing Beauties of The Roaring Twenties." And here is a helpful essay from Antiques Roadshow on buying and preserving vintage clothing.

1950's black bathing suit with pockets $224.00

One final thought.....hang the suit or wear it?